Opening Segment Review:
Hulk Hogan opens the show and says the power of Immortal is running wild. He says the network is backing Ric Flair’s offer to face Sting, which will take place on September 15. If Sting loses, it is his last match. If Sting wins, he faces Hogan, waiting for ten years. Kurt Angle comes out to the ring for Hogan to apologize for Dixie Carter’s manipulation of him. Hogan says she needs to clean up the bacteria that Carter left behind. Hogan says he wants Angle to beat Sting and cut the cancer out of the company. Angle agrees to do it because his enemies are Hogans, and vice versa. Sting comes out to confront him and Hogan tells him that nobody wants to see Sting. Sting speaks crazy and says tonight is the first step in the grand prize to fight Hogan. He will make Hogan’s power vanish. Hogan says he will be the enforcer tonight in the match.
Reaction:
A very good opening for Impact Wrestling, giving us every piece that is carrying their main event card. Sting continues to be solid and different on the microphone, and Angle/Hogan continue to have their friendship seen on screen. It seems like Hogan sometimes does not know what he is going to say next, stuttering a little bit and not fluent on the mic like Sting or Angle. This needed to open Impact to give us the main event players of the night, and of the company, in the very beginning. This is what WWE usually gives us, which is intelligent and adds anticipation to the night. This segment gets a B.
RVD vs. Gunner in a BFG Series Match Review:
RVD heel kicks Gunner, and we see Matt Morgan stopping Samoa Joe from coming to the ring. He hits Morgan below the belt. RVD controls the match until Gunner hits an elbow to the face of Van Dam to send him to the outside. Gunner throws him into the rail, gets a two count. RVD kicks him in the head to regain the offense. He hits rolling thunder, as Jerry Lynn makes his way out. He reverses Gunner and sets him up for the five star frog splash. Lynn runs down and throws him off the turnbuckle. Gunner hits a running knee for the three count.
Reaction:
A solid match that had too much outside interference, which included Morgan, Joe, and Lynn. Let the match go before we get outside pieces involved. RVD and Gunner did alright in the ring, but it seemed like a step off for Gunner to keep up with Van Dam and his offensive kicks. I like RVD, but I wish he expanded his offense more, as I do not recall something new in the ring he has done in quite some time. He has talent, no doubt, I just wish I saw him add more into his offense. Lynn and RVD’s feud continues, which I still do not like. Van Dam, ever since losing the title, seems to be put into bad feuds and rushed confrontations just so he remains relevant. This segment gets a C.
